I’ll Knit If I Want To: Episode 209 @dreareneeknits

Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions!

Sign up for my newsletter here: Sign up for the DRK Newsletter: eepurl.com/diPxsr

In this week’s episode we cover:

1. My Dad recently finished chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, he has a lingering side effect where he often feels extremely cold. What cowl/shawl/scarf pattern would you recommend for a guy? Are there any particular masculine leaning patterns that come to mind? Fiber choice? I’m thinking something soft, but not excessively drapey. I feel like non superwash would be too rough for someone who is already experiencing sensitivities. Thank you!

Oxbow Cardigan
ravelry.com/patterns/library/oxbow-cardigan
dreareneeknits.com/shop/oxbow-cardigan

Traveler Cowl
ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-traveler-cowl
dreareneeknits.com/shop/the-traveler-cowl

Marley Shawl
ravelry.com/patterns/library/marley-4
dreareneeknits.com/shop/marley

Levi Scarf
ravelry.com/patterns/library/levi-3
dreareneeknits.com/shop/levi

2.Yarn Join SOS – Weekender Crew Edition - Hi Andrea! I’m participating in the DRK March to May KAL 2025 and knitting my second Weekender Crew! My first one was black (a very forgiving color for… let’s call them learning moments), but this time I’m using a light green, and, well… let’s just say my yarn joins are making their presence known. 😅 When knitting the body, I had to add two new balls of yarn. The first time, I tried a colorwork-style method but brought the yarn to the front (knit side)—it looked so bad. The second time, I just started knitting with the new ball and tied a little knot on the wrong side, but it’s still very visible. Maybe blocking will help, and honestly, I love my sweater, imperfections and all! But I know I’ll knit more Weekenders in the future, and I’d love to learn the best way to join yarn when the right side is in purl and spit splicing isn’t an option (cotton content, of course).

3. I'm excited to join the spin it to knit it sock challenge. I love the concept of two different spinning and plying methods and then knitting them into striped socks! When splitting a braid or portion of a braid for a 3 ply how do you do it get so the 3rds are evenly split? When I use a scale I'm not sure if I just strip off small amounts and then parallel draft them to even them out if I'm off or if there's a better method. Secondly, once done with singles for a 3-ply I inevitably end up with extras on 2 of the bobbins. How do you ply this as a 3 ply? For a 2-ply I use a ply bracelet which makes it easy to use all the fiber but don't know the best way to do this for a 3 ply.

4. Dear Andrea,
Thank you so much for your beautiful designs and your knowledgeable videos. In some patterns, the designers don't recommend a specific cast-on or bind-off method. I never know which method to use, so most of the time, I search on YouTube and pick the first video. For example, in the Wool and Honey pattern, it says to "bind off loosely," but the ribbing is 2x2. What method do you recommend for binding off in 2x2 ribbing? When no method is specified, how can I choose the best one to match the needs of the project?

5. Mosaic Tension. For colourwork, there is a lot of discussion about keeping floats loose and getting correct tension to avoid puckering in the knitted fabric. But I have not heard as much discussion for mosaic knitting. When we slip stitches (as in Vellichor or your Shift series), do you treat the working yarn as a float along the back, carefully spacing out your slipped stitches to ensure relaxed tension? OR do you slip the stitches and carry the yarn in back with a bit of tension, intentionally creating a textured fabric due to a slight bunching effect, while the slipped stitches are elongated upwards and thus are narrower than a regular stitch? I am hoping to do Vellichor for the March to May KAL. Just working out my gauge before I get going. Thank you for all the tidbits of information and life chat stuff on these weekly podcasts.

Tensioning video: youtu.be/Ny9dWbAp5Zs

Today I am wearing the DRK Everyday Cardi being released next Tuesday!

Spinalong Challenge
Ravelry Forum: ravelry.com/discuss/dreareneeknits/4353630
Instagram Hashtags: #3ply2ways ; #drkspinchallenge

March 2 May KAL 2025
Shawl Forum: ravelry.com/discuss/dreareneeknits/4351754
Sweater Forum: ravelry.com/discuss/dreareneeknits/4351752
Instagram: #DRKmarch2maykal25 Ask a question for next week’s Q&A: https://forms.gle/pKM9gF9SixkdQwmS7

Ask a question for next week’s Q&A: https://forms.gle/

Thanks, I Made It! Birch pullover + Jaunty Shawl + Arthur Pants

$I’ll Knit If I Want To: Episode 227 BIRTHDAY SALE!! Save 30% off of all of my independently published patterns (with the exception of Ooey Gooey and any patterns that were published thru 3rd parties) with the discount code DREA30 thru 8/8/25 at midnight EST! (Please note - don’t forget to enter the code before finishing your purchase, as discounts cannot be applied retroactively!) Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions! Sign up for my newsletter here: Sign up for the DRK Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/diPxsr In this week’s episode we cover: 1. Im making the Tessellated vest and just have the ribbing to go. Have loved knitting the vest so am looking forward to finishing it and wearing it. The challenge I have is picking up the stitches for the armholes. Youve mentioned in the past that you use a ratio of 5 in 7 but do you vary this for armholes? Do you use 5 in 7 when working top half of armholes and over the shoulder, but pick up more stitches on the slanting edge towards bottom of armhole. Any advice would be appreciated. 2. Im just starting out as a designer and have a question about gauge patterns. Does the gauge pattern have to match the stitch pattern used in the item? Or would a stockinette gauge sample, for example, be suitable for a brioche or cable pattern, if both the gauge sample and the item are worked flat (but no stockinette is used in the pattern)? Would your answer change if its a two color brioche pattern? Thanks for all your advice over the years - Ive learned a lot from listening! 3. My question is about spinning. Like so many others, I’ve been inspired by you to pick up spinning. I took a couple drop spindle classes a little over a year ago and fell in love. I don’t currently have the financial or spatial budget for a wheel (though I’m hoping for an e-spinner for my upcoming birthday ), so my question is specific to your experience with spindle spinning. And particularly about plying. Since most spindles can hold less spun fiber than a wheel bobbin, my plied skeins tend to be fairly small. But yours always look much larger. Do you use a felted join on your singles to add more when one spindle runs out? Or perhaps a felted join on the plied yarn to combine smaller lengths into a larger skein? A combination of both? Would either affect the integrity of the finished yarn? Or is there something else I’m missing? Also, when doing a fractal spin with half a braid spun end to end and the other half divided into smaller strips, what considerations do you take into account when deciding which singles to ply together? I imagine you end up with some parts that have two plies of the first half of the braid and one ply with the smaller strips, and vice versa. How do you decide which to combine? Or do you just choose at random? 4. Ive been knitting for years, but am newish to sock knitting. I have two questions - The first sock I ever knit was perfect, then I had a few duds after that. My tension seemed to tighten significantly to the point I have to knit the size up from my frist sock - why would that be? My tension for other types of projects havent been affected in the same way. I also notice on the last couple socks Ive knit there is a slight ridge on the inside of my sock where I grafted the toe. I can feel it on the inside of the foot and I cant determine why the ridge is there. I have watched a lot of tutorials and know I have done the Kitchener stitch correctly. Could that also be a tensioning issue? 5. I know how important swatching is however there is one aspect that has me curious. One of the reasons for swatching is to see if the fabric grows and by how much. My question is, if the swatch does grow, how does the knitter determine what pattern size to follow? It seems like it would be challenging to translate the amount of growth seen in a swatch to a larger garment such a sweater. If I normally knit a size 36 bust should I drop down to a smaller bust size? If the pattern states to knit until piece measures 10 inches, should a lesser amount be knitted? Fortunately I’ve never had any major issues with growth but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time! High Tide Set: https://matchymatchysewingclub.com/products/high-tide-set-pdf-sewing-pattern Today I am wearing Night Lights Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/night-lights-3 My Website: https://www.dreareneeknits.com/shop/night-lights 2025 Rhinebeck Ooey Gooey KAL Ravelry Forum: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/dreareneeknits/topics/4368040 Facebook Forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076153613959074 Instagram Hashtag: #RhinebeckOoeyGooeyKAL Ask a question for next week’s Q&A: https://forms.gle/pKM9gF9SixkdQwmS7$

Thanks, I Made It! DRK Everyday Cardi + Barry Pants